Beware the Gonzo (2010)

A young muckraker decides to start his own underground newspaper at his high school.

Director:

Bryan Goluboff

Writer:

Bryan Goluboff

Stars:

Ezra Miller, Zoë Kravitz, Griffin Newman

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ezra Miller	...	Eddie 'Gonzo' Gilman
Zoë Kravitz	...	Evie Wallace
Griffin Newman	...	Horny Rob Becker
Stefanie Y. Hong	...	Ming Na (as Stefanie Hong)
Edward Gelbinovich	...	Scott Marshall Schneeman
Jesse McCartney	...	Gavin Reilly
Amy Sedaris	...	Diane Gilman
Campbell Scott	...	Arthur Gilman
James Urbaniak	...	Principal Roy
Marc John Jefferies	...	Stone
Lucian Maisel	...	Malloy
Jerry Grayson	...	Errol
Yul Vazquez	...	Charlie Ronald
Judah Friedlander	...	Cafeteria Guy
Steven Kaplan	...	Kevin

Storyline

Eddie "Gonzo" Gilman is starting a revolution. When the wild-eyed rebel journalist is ousted from his prep school's newspaper by its über-popular editor, Eddie fronts an underground movement to give a voice to all the misfits, outcasts, and nerds. Soon the power of the press is in Eddie's hands... but will he use it wisely?

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Plot Keywords:

1st amendment | window blinds | teen movie | newspaper | revolution | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

Multiple actors in the film would later star in DC Comics adaptations. Ezra Miller would play Barry Allen/The Flash in the DC Extended Universe, Zoe Kravitz would play Selina Kyle/Catwoman in The Batman (2021), Conor Leslie would play Donna Troy/Wonder Girl in Titans (2018-) and Jesse McCartney would voice Dick Grayson/Nightwing in Young Justice (2010-).

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Goofs

Columbia University does not offer an undergraduate major in journalism, which Eddie is pursuing in the film. The journalism program at Columbia is only offered to graduate students.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Eddie 'Gonzo' Gilman: In the past week, I blew my chance to go to college, I lost all my friends, and I almost ruined my parents' marriage. The one girl I ever cared about will probably never talk to me again. And I... I also got my face kicked in, but... after everything I've done, I probably got off easy.

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Connections

References All the President's Men (1976)

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Soundtracks

Let Us Be (Bandits)
Performed by The Sinz
Written by Dave Milone, Alice Blythe, Anthony Roman, James Ascuitto, and Alex Niemetz

User Reviews

The Ultimate Movie Review! - http://tss5078.blogspot.com - @tss5078

It's the first week of Senior year and already, Gonzo Gilman has been kicked off the school paper and his friends are being bullied. Gonzo is a smart kid and he knows better than anyone that the pen is mightier than the sword. With the help of his loser buddies, Gonzo comes up with a plan to create the anti-newspaper of his High School, a publication that focuses on the negatives of the school and it's students. Most of these High School themed movies are about the popular kids drama or the unknown student who becomes a legend, but how often do you see the losers rise up against the popular kids, in a non-violent way? This story was written by Bryan Goluboff, who also wrote the screen play for one of my favorite movies, The Basketball Diaries. Much like that film, this one is as clever as it is funny. Ezra Miller stars as Gonzo, and gives the best performance I've seen him give. Yes, he was great in Perks of Being a Wallflower, but he has a whole different energy here, and I think it might have something to do with Miller's personal life. Miller is openly gay and has often talked about how difficult it's been for him. The character he's playing here, Gonzo Gilman, is a cult hero for every kid that's ever been bullied and didn't know what to do about it, and in a way I think this role was Miller's way of fighting back against what happened to him. He's opposed by Jesse McCartney, the most popular kid in school. I think McCartney is a tremendous talent and he's a good looking kid. For that reason, he's always portrayed as this sweet, lovable guy, and it was really great to see him in a different type of role. Sometimes the best way to rejuvenate your career is by trying something new and it works here. Beware The Gonzo is a refreshingly unique, independent film, with a great young cast, and an amazing writer, who is very particular about what he does. Everything comes together to create something terrific that we really haven't seen before. I can honestly say I loved every minute of this film and for that it's receives the label of must see movie!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 September 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Gonzo Files

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Corner Store Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Color:

Color